During the transportation of goods in vehicles, it is necessary to secure the goods in position to prevent loss or damage to the goods due to movement during transportation or by collision with other goods in the vehicle, and to retain the goods within the vehicle.
Typically goods are transported inside containers loaded onto vehicles. One of the tools used to secure goods in containers is a jack bar. FIG. 1 shows a conventional jack bar 50. The jack bar 50 includes a main body 1, a main axle 2, a lever 3 (also referred to as a “handle”), a gear rack 4, and a tube 5. The jack bar 50 has a first end 55 (also referred to as a “gear rack end”) and a second end 60 (also referred to as a “tube end”). Typically, the jack bar 50 is operated by reciprocating the lever 3. The movement of the lever 3 drives the gear rack 4 outward to cause the two ends 55, 60 of the jack bar 50 to push against side walls of a container. The two ends 55, 60 typically include rubber feet 65, 70 for gripping. The jack bar 50 is positioned and located in the container to limit motion of goods during transportation. The length of this conventional jack bar 50 in operation is determined by the distance between the two side walls of the container. Accordingly, jack bars 50 of this conventional configuration are typically long with respect to the cargo space making the jack bars themselves difficult to store and transport thereby adding to shipping costs.
The assembly of the conventional jack bar of FIG. 1 typically includes welds such as the weld 75 between the main body 1 and the tube 5. The welds at times result in a less than optimal product. For example, the welds between the main body and the tube require polishing and rust proofing in order to maintain structural integrity and in order for the welds to be aesthetically acceptable. If the jack bar main body 1 and tube 5 separate, the jack bar 50 can be repaired only by rewelding which is a difficult repair. In addition, welds may include defects such as skewing, slag inclusion, or porosity. Further, the welding process requires extensive tooling.
For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for an improved jack bar.